I really enjoyed watching the wave contest. Normally all we get is the highlight reel, but the drama strategy and skills of a wave contest made watching much more interesting. Below are key time marks of the final day.

Josh, thanks for you work at the event--great job! It was really cool to watch live and you guys were fun to listen to, including Kai the Entertainer.

FWIW, I'd love to see AWT summary videos that tell the story of the competition, not just show the highlights. The Maui event really had some drama to work with. Although most windsurfers don't know how these competitions work, I think that interest could be cultivated, which would be good for the AWT.

Watching the moves in context rather than on a highlight reel is so much better. Josh Stone's massive aerial on day one for example.

I highly recommend everybody who loves wave sailing to watch the whole enchilada. I'm only up to the amateurs now and it's awesome to get so much insight into sailing at Ho'okipa. I've only sailed there once, pretty tame day, and I wish I had seen this first. I'm so much better informed on where to position myself, how the current works around the rocks depending on swell direction and size and so much more.

I'm half thinking of entering the amateurs division next year, just to get a shot at sailing the place with only a handful of other sailors, even though I'd be out of the contest in the first heat, it'd be fun none the less.

Another thing that is very important is that we should all click on the donate button to support the stream. I haven't yet, but I'm going to.

Yeah, the vibe in wave sailing tends to be subtle for a few reasons and it's great to have an opportunity to watch top competitors in really sweet conditions. Watching a huge chunk of the contest as it evolves allows me to share that vibe.

One question. Do modern wave events no longer score jumping as a near-equal to wave riding? Back before modern flight, contests measured wave performance, jumping and transitions as distinct scoring subcategories. I realize the wind was pretty light on that day, but don't the competitors still need to score something for jumps?_________________Support Your Sport. Join US Windsurfing!
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Hi Dan- That is up to the head judge to decide, and is totally dependent on the conditions of the day. The only really important thing is for all of the competitors to be aware of what counts and what doesn't, so that they don't waste time and energy._________________formerly known as hodad.andy

The judges didn't score jumps during the AWT because the conditions varied during the day and would not have given an equal chance to score.
This was highlighted by the move to score jumps for a couple heats in Pro.
We had to look over the results when the wind dropped and Matt stopped scoring jumps shortly after.
It is less and less usual to score jumps in Wave contests these days.
I have never worked at an event which scored jumps.

Last edited by keycocker on Wed Nov 14, 2012 2:51 pm; edited 1 time in total

More to note.
This contest and series is run entirely by windsurfers like Matt Pritchard, head judge.
The way to score points at Hookipa was not based on 3 points for a taka, two for a one handed blowback, like other events.
This was all about great wave riding. If you went down the line with style and class you scored. If the judges and crowd went WOW you scored.
Josh Stone went airborne during an off the lip and just hung there for long seconds, flying the rig like a motionless glider. Magic.
Bernt didn't have the chops of a top pro in some ways and beat them all with solid excellent wave riding like most of us aspire to. The other youth thought he lost against K Pritchard because Kevin did a couple of the many great moves he knows, but we saw Bernt sailing as good on a wave as it gets and that clinched it.
He beat KP twice in row, after coming back in the losers round and Pritchard went in the water to congratulate him.
That is a sign of the true pro that Kevin has always shown himself to be.

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